


A Story Half Remembered

by epsilonAbsol



Series: epsilonAbsol's Prince Lore Collection [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pokemon Ranger
Genre: Shadows of Almia, pokemon ranger lore
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-23
Updated: 2017-08-14
Packaged: 2018-11-17 14:54:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11277597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/epsilonAbsol/pseuds/epsilonAbsol
Summary: There is an old story in Almia, one that tells of a king and his three sons. Most of the story has been lost, and all that remains are small, colored stones that were somehow tied to the ancient folklore.This is the story of how the king of Almia fell, and how darkness managed to enter the land.





	1. Entry One

**Author's Note:**

> So I was replaying Shadows of Almia a few weeks ago and thought to myself, "Has anyone done anything with the 'Tears of Princes' story?" I looked in the tag on Ao3 and didn't find anything, which I personally thought was a tragedy in itself, so SOMEONE had to. And if nobody else would do it, I may as well. I've got a few notes for you all, just so you might be able to follow it better.
> 
> The Red Prince - Raleigh  
> The Yellow Prince - Blaine  
> The Blue Prince - Morgan
> 
> The portions that are primarily in italics are parts of diary entries which are written by the blue prince, the parts that are primarily in normal text are the scene that the entry is discussing. The entries from one chapter to another are not necessarily consecutive, but the ones that are in the same chapters are most often going to be over a couple days.
> 
> The only warning I have for this story is that there is swearing in it. Since this game was kinda made for kids, I figured I'd toss that warning in there. Other than that, I don't think there's anything too bad. I hope you enjoy!

_X Month XX Day_

_Blaine and I ventured into the forest to train our partners today. I am sure that Raleigh would have joined us had he not been busy helping father, but given what happened, I am glad that he was not present. An argument between myself, Blaine,_ and _Raleigh as opposed to simply myself and Blaine could have been exponentially worse._

* * *

The forest around Almia Castle was not a dangerous place. Nothing that lived within it was more dangerous than the Beedrill, but most knew where their territories were and not to enter them. The people of Almia could walk through it without fear, whether they were making a trip for business, training, or pleasure. The trees provided a sense of peace and tranquility that could not always be found in the city surrounding the castle.

A sharp crack shattered the peaceful atmosphere, followed by the slow creak of a falling tree. Several bird pokemon were startled into flight and, for just a moment, the forest felt completely silent. No bird calls, no chirps or buzzing from nearby Kricketot, nothing.

At the base of the fallen tree stood a young man in blue, who was staring at the jagged stump with delighted awe, and a Riolu looking up at him expectantly. The young man broke the silence with an impressed laugh before cheering, “Nicely done!” He turned his expression down toward his partner, continuing, “I’ve never seen you bring one down like that before. You’re getting stronger, my little friend!” The Riolu barked cheerfully as the young man ruffled the fur between his ears.

The sound of someone walking through the underbrush caught the young man’s attention, and as he looked toward the source of the sound, he had to stifle a laugh as his brother came into sight. The newcomer was dressed in yellow and looked absolutely _furious_ , but the feature that stood out the most was the splatter of white that was in the process of dripping down his hair and onto his shoulder. “Morgan,” the newcomer said with a dangerous edge to his voice, “What did you just do?”

“Well,” Morgan started, suppressing a grin as he badly pretended that he didn’t notice what was happening, “Riolu and I were just training. He just brought down a tree! Didn’t you notice it, brother?”

“I noticed,” he snapped, glaring daggers. “And so did Taillow, in case you were curious.”

“Did she now? Was she impressed?” Morgan asked with all of the feigned innocence he could muster.

“She was terrified!” Blaine finally exploded, at which point Morgan cracked a small grin. “Don’t say it, I know what you’re thinking-”

“So we scared the shit out of her?”

Blaine roared with frustration and marched up to his brother, who was snickering both at his own cleverness and the droppings that were slowly continuing to slide down the side of Blaine’s face. “Stop _laughing!_ ” A single rough shove and Morgan toppled backwards into the branches of the fallen tree, which effectively stopped his laughter. Twigs and smaller branches snapped under his weight, and the larger ones were unforgiving when Morgan’s back made impact.

Riolu growled, but Morgan grunted a quick, “I’m fine,” before he did anything. He started getting to his feet, glaring at his brother as he said, “You _really_ need to take things less seriously. It’s not like Taillow’s gone forever, she knows how to get back home.”

“Of course I _know_ that, I’m not stupid!” Blaine spat, turning away from his brother and his pokemon, crossing his arms defensively. “I just don’t _appreciate_ being laughed at.”

Morgan rolled his eyes, groaning, “That is _literally_ what I’m talking about! You have bird shit on your face! _Anyone_ would laugh at someone getting bird shit on their face! You’d laugh at _me_ if it happened to me! Learn to fucking laugh at yourself sometime, would you?”

“It’s not the _same_ ,” Blaine growled, his grip on his sleeve tightening.

“Uh, yeah, it is,” Morgan countered, stating it as if it should be obvious. To him, it _was_ obvious. After a moment of silence, he sighed, rubbing his own back in an attempt to ease the soreness that was now there. “Can we just go now? My back hurts.”

“I’m not returning to the castle like this.”

“Are you joking?”

“You can wait here while I go wash this off.”

“Absolutely not, the nearest river is ten minutes away! It’d be faster if you just cleaned it off at home!”

“And have everyone we see on the way in see me like this? I think not.”

“ _Oh my god._ Blaine, _nobody_ will care. They’ll see it, laugh for a second, maybe say 'Oh! That's good luck, your highness!', then move on. That’s _it_. I’m not waiting half an hour for your vanity.”

“I’m not vain!”

“Don’t lie to yourself, yes you are.”

* * *

  _Unsurprisingly, I won that argument. Riolu did help, it was difficult for Blaine to argue when a pokemon that is stronger than he is was pulling him along. I think Blaine will be angry with me for a while for not letting him clean it off before we returned. I did hear some snickers as we passed some people in the town, but I find it difficult to feel sympathetic when he is the reason that I have several bruises on my back and more scratches on my arms than I can count. I did not receive an apology for that particular action either._

_In all honesty, the events of today perfectly illustrate why Blaine would be a poor ruler of Almia. Having some pride is all well and good, but when you would force someone whom you have injured, no matter how minor it may be, to wait while you ensure that your own pride will remain intact, you have gone too far. Today it was me, who might it be in the future should he become king? Starving citizens of Almia failing to receive aid because their King Blaine refused to ask neighboring regions for assistance? That should never happen. Blaine should never be crowned king._

_In any case, Riolu is making incredible progress. I could not be more proud of him. I do not know when it is that he might evolve, but I do not think that it will be much longer now._


	2. Entry Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reference for who people are:
> 
> The Red Prince - Raleigh  
> The Yellow Prince - Blaine  
> The Blue Prince - Morgan  
> The King of Almia - Lucius
> 
> I don't actually know if I wrote the forms of address properly, so if anybody knows how to actually do that, let me know so I can fix it. Enjoy chapter 2!

_X Month XX Day_

_There has been some tension between Almia and the islands of Oblivia. I cannot claim to know where the problems lie, but I am sure that father will find a way to create peace once again. That has always been his goal for Almia._

_I do not have much to write about today. Representatives from Oblivia have been invited to the castle for the purpose of discussing whatever issues they have with father, but no response has come yet. I am sure that once they agree to come, peace will be easily achievable._

 

_X Month XX Day_

_That meeting was a disaster._

_Perhaps I am exaggerating, but it did not end in a peaceful resolution as we had hoped. Four people arrived at the castle early this morning, all of them wearing heavy armor for some reason or another, all in varying colors. I thought it might be rude to inquire about it, so I refrained from asking any questions. I only heard one man speak when my father welcomed them, a man who wore golden armor, so I can only assume that he is the one in charge of their diplomatic mission. He introduced himself as Ellios, and his companions as the oracles Sabios, Pagos, and Brotos._

_However, as to the reason why the meeting went so poorly, my brothers and I were to be present. I understand that father is trying to educate us all in the art of diplomacy, but I must question the wisdom behind asking us to be present during a diplomatic event of such potential import. Not that I think that I was the problem, or even Blaine for that matter. The one at fault for this was Raleigh. I don’t know why father thought that having such an impulsive and restless person in the council room would be a good idea, even if he is his eldest son._

* * *

 “Oracle Ellios, will you and your oracles not remove your helmets for this meeting?” King Lucius asked, with a raised brow and a curious tone in his voice. It wasn’t quite accusing, but it made it clear that his question was more of a demand than an actual question.

The atmosphere in the room, which had already been an uncomfortable silence, seemed to become even more so after the king had spoken. The oracles’ helmets covered their faces nearly entirely, and even the holes for their eyes appeared to be made so that others could not see them. The reason for the question was obvious: if these men were hiding their faces, what else might they be hiding?

“You must forgive us, your grace,” came Ellios’ muffled reply. “Our armor is important to us culturally. We cannot remove our helmets without disrespecting our bonds with our pokemon.”

The king frowned, clearly not satisfied with his answer. “You cannot remove them even for a short time, where none but myself and my sons would see?”

“Our bonds are sacred. We cannot.”

There was a moment of tense silence as the king stared down the table at Ellios, but the intimidation that any other person may have felt was lost. The men in armor knew that the people across the table could not see them, and could not truly do anything to them. He could not force them to remove their armor without creating hostility, so he would be forced to allow the helmets to remain. The king would be at a disadvantage in his own council.

Eventually, the king sighed in defeat. “Alright. Shall we begin our negotiations, then?”

As the king and the oracles discussed things like trade, Morgan couldn’t help but let his mind drift a little. The conversation was boring for the most part, with the King being as diplomatic as possible and the oracles speaking in calm, even tones behind their steel faceplates. Nothing truly stood out to him about the conversation, the main thing on his mind was the suspicion that he’d seen on his father’s face as the oracles refused to remove their helmets. He didn’t know much about Oblivia, but he did know that culture and the bonds between people and pokemon were important. He understood why his father had asked it of them, but he also understood their refusal. He simply didn’t understand why it had made his father suspicious. What had given his father reason to think that the oracles might have malicious intentions? From the tone of the discussion, they sounded reasonable enough. Perhaps it was only a matter of poor first impressions.

After about an hour, a soft drumming sound attracted Morgan’s attention. He looked to his left, trying to figure out where it was coming from, and one look at Blaine’s irritated expression gave Morgan the answer. He leaned slightly forward so that he could look at Raleigh around Blaine, and restlessness was obvious on his face. He was getting bored with this talk, and sitting still was not one of his strong suits. Morgan was sure that this meeting was testing his brother’s patience, and it was likely that tapping his fingers on his chair like that was the only thing keeping him from simply getting up and leaving.

It wasn’t loud, and it didn’t seem to be impacting the negotiations at all - Morgan heard something about pokemon, but he still wasn’t really paying too much attention - but it _was_ distracting. Honestly, Morgan was marveling that his father was seeming to ignore Raleigh so well when he was right next to him. But even as the unaffected as everyone appeared to be, Raleigh only began drumming his fingers more and more quickly, which actually _did_ attract a stern look from the king, and it wasn’t long before Raleigh had had enough.

He interrupted one of the oracles mid-sentence when he stood, and everyone stared at him as he wordlessly began leaving the room. Even the king was in shock for a moment before asking, “Is something wrong, Raleigh?”

He didn’t even turn around or slow his pace as he replied, “I cannot sit here anymore. I need to go somewhere I can actually _do_ something.” With that, he was gone, leaving the door to swing loudly shut behind him.

There was a stunned silence, but it was a short one. King Lucius was quick to give his attention back to the oracles and say, “I apologize for my son’s rudeness. He is unused to meetings like this.”

“It is alright, your grace. I believe we are through with this discussion anyway, since we cannot agree on some issues that are important to us both.”

“You must understand why I cannot allow you to take pokemon away from their homes, even if you claim that they belong in your region.”

“And you must understand why I cannot accept that answer. We are finished here.”

Morgan saw his father’s jaw tighten with frustration as he answered, “It would appear so.” He paused for a moment, considering his next words, and said, “You are welcome to spend the night here, but tomorrow I must ask that you return to Oblivia.”

“You have our word that we will leave in the morning. Thank you, your grace, for your generous hospitality.”

* * *

  _Once the oracles had left, father sighed and said to us, “I hope you boys have at least learned what_ not _to do in a diplomatic setting,” then he told us to go find our brother and tell him that father wanted to speak with him later. We tried, but the only place he would be is his Rapidash’s stable, and they both were already gone somewhere. We had to wait for him to come back to deliver the message. Blaine was not happy about that, and the second Raleigh came back, he started trying to lecture him about how stupid his actions were and what effects they might have._

_I will admit, I was not paying too close attention to what was being discussed, but at least I did not act out and jeopardize whatever was at stake. I knew that Raleigh had always described himself as a ‘man of action,’ but I did not realize that he was completely incapable of controlling himself. If today was any indication, my eldest brother is a horrible diplomat. Either Blaine or myself would do better by far, though I have my doubts about Blaine as well._

_I know that it is expected that the crown shall go to Raleigh after father, but I do not think that my brother realizes how much of ruling involves sitting and talking to people. Or perhaps he does, and he just intends to do a poor job of ruling. I do not know. I can only hope that father will see that Raleigh would be a poor successor and name someone else as his heir._

 

_X Month XX Day_

_The oracles left this morning. Oracle Ellios spoke to me directly before they left, and I still do not understand why, but he told me, “You remind me of my own son.” He had fondness in his voice, which was odd to me since none of the oracles had spoken with any particular tone before, and it is especially odd because there had not been any reason for him to say that._

_I am incredibly confused. But it is alright. I doubt that I will be seeing any of the oracles again anytime soon, so I will be putting that encounter out of my mind. Today, I will be going out to train with Riolu once more. I hope that he will continue progressing as he has been._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get ready for me to not elaborate on the Oblivia situation at all, sorry if that made y'all curious. I just needed opposition and I figured, 'Why not go for the other ancient guys who have issues?' and then I did. So don't worry about it, it really doesn't have anything to do with the plot of this whole Thing.


	3. Entry Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's all Morgan, so just remember that he's the blue prince and that's all you need to know. Enjoy!

_X Month XX Day_

_I know that I typically write at the end of every day, but yesterday was not exactly a typical day. Some things occurred, but contrary to what my brothers claim, they were not made through any fault of my own. I do not care what they say, trusting people and wanting to see the best in them is_ not _a fault._

* * *

 The evening air was cool as Morgan and his Riolu were returning to the castle from their usual training in the forest. The streets of the surrounding city were clearing as the people returned to their homes, and a few people nodded a greeting as he passed. It was a beautiful night, and the atmosphere put Morgan completely at ease.

“Your highness!” Called a frantic-sounding voice. Morgan turned to see a man around his father’s age rushing toward him as quickly as he could. He had a desperate look on his face as he said, “Your highness, please, I beg you for your help! It’s my boy, he- he fell down a ravine when we were collecting firewood, I cannot get him out alone! Please, I beg you!” The man’s voice matched his expression, and Morgan was fairly sure that he could see tears forming in his eyes as he spoke.

Morgan could feel his heart going out to the man. He couldn’t help but think of what his father might do if something similar happened to Morgan or one of his brothers. He responded to the man in a voice that was calm and full of sympathy, “Don’t worry, sir, I will help you. Where did he fall?”

The man sighed in relief, saying, “Thank you, your highness, thank you. I can show you to where he fell. Please, follow me.”

As Morgan began to do exactly that, he heard a soft growl from Riolu next to him. When Morgan looked down, he saw Riolu staring at the man with suspicion. He didn’t understand why he was acting in such a way, and said, “Come on, Riolu.” The pokemon looked directly into his eyes and remained standing firm and defiant, like he was trying to tell Morgan something, but Morgan wasn’t getting the message. Morgan began following the man again, saying, “Alright, stay if you want. I am helping this man find his son.”

Just as Morgan expected, Riolu followed behind him anyway. Riolu barked again and again, still trying to convey something to Morgan, but all Morgan did to acknowledge him was to say, “Riolu, calm down. Everything is fine.” The look that Riolu gave him contained the most skepticism that he had ever seen on a pokemon in his life.

By the time the sun began setting, the man had led Morgan and Riolu fairly deep into the forest, and didn’t appear to have any intention of stopping yet. “Is the ravine much farther?” He asked, his concern for the injured boy growing as more time passed. How long could he have been trapped? Would he even be conscious to hear if they called?

“Not too much farther, your highness,” the man said, sounding significantly less concerned than he had before. He sounded victorious, smug, even. Morgan paused, his confusion obvious, and as his footsteps stopped, the man turned to face him with a malicious grin. “Something wrong, your highness?” he asked, a sickening amount of fake-innocence emphasizing Morgan’s title.

“I’m under the impression that there is, but you don’t seem to think so,” Morgan said, taking a wary step back. “What are your true intentions for bringing me out here?”

The man tsked disapprovingly as he shook his at Morgan as if he were a misbehaved child. “Now, now, your highness, I must request that you not ask questions that I cannot answer.”

“Cannot answer?” Morgan echoed. “And why is that? Or is that another question that you ‘cannot answer?’”

“I’ll put it this way: I am in the business of doing what I am paid to do, not asking my employer too many questions. Besides, the ‘why’ of it all hardly matters to you. And, since I must assume that you will no longer follow willingly…” The sentence was left unfinished, with the man waving a signal to someone behind him. Morgan couldn’t see the pokemon, but he could see the cloud of green spores filling the air around him.

“Riolu!” Morgan called, but he hadn’t needed to. By the time the cloud reached Morgan, his partner was already outside of its radius, unaffected, and attacking the pokemon that were sending the spores. Morgan had tried to hold his breath and make a run for it, but one of the man’s pokemon had managed to snare a vine around his ankle, knocking the breath out of him as he hit the ground. With his next breath, Morgan choked on the spores and began coughing violently, trying to clear his throat.

They took effect quickly, and Morgan was fighting for wakefulness as the cloud finally began to clear and the man approached him again. His mind was hazy, but the image of the man’s victorious and amused smile was clear to him. The man commented, “I suppose there was a grain of truth to my story. There _is_ a boy in the forest. I doubt you’ll be able to help him though.”

A bright light illuminated the forest, and the last thing Morgan saw before sleep overtook him was the man looking toward it, his expression changing from gloating to fearful. The last thing he heard, however, was a ferocious growl and a voice in his head saying, _“Morgan, my friend, you are an_ idiot. _"_

* * *

_Obviously, everything turned out fine, since I am currently writing. I cannot say for certain what happened after I succumbed to the sleep powder, but I do know one thing. Riolu has finally evolved - he is now Lucario. He told me that he defeated all of the pokemon that were producing the cloud of sleep powder, then evolved to more effectively protect me from the would-be abductor. I do not know what happened to him, since Lucario has refused to tell me, but evidently he performed the same sort of telepathy that he has been using to communicate with me to contact my father and tell him what happened. I can only assume he sent someone to come find us, since I woke up in my room after being put to sleep in a forest._

_I have not yet spoken to my father, nor my brothers, and the mere thought of doing so is uncomfortable, to say the least. Lucario has taken to saying, “I told you so,” whenever I mention the events of yesterday, so I can only imagine what my brothers will say when they find out everything. Still, I do not believe that any of my actions preceding it were wrong. Perhaps I should have listened to Lucario when he was clearly giving signals that something was wrong, but what kind of ~~prince~~ person would I be if I simply left a boy to die in the woods? Had the man’s story been true and had I not gone, there would likely have been no help for him. My actions were not wrong. I am sure of it. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lucario could talk telepathically in the movie so I took that idea and ran.
> 
> Anyway, now that we've got examples of everyone royally (ha) fucking up, we can get to the Good Stuff. I'll get the next parts written and posted as soon as I can!


	4. Entry Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: I'll update asap!  
> Me, a month later: *crawls out of my hole and blinks in the light* oh yeah i have a fanfiction
> 
> Anyway, another recap of who people are:  
> The Red Prince: Raleigh  
> The Yellow Prince: Blaine  
> The Blue Prince: Morgan  
> The King of Almia: Lucius
> 
> Enjoy!

_X Month XX Day_

~~_I do no_ ~~

~~_I did not thi_ ~~

_My brothers are gone. Father sent them away. I have never seen father so angry. Everything happened so quickly, I still have not truly processed it all myself. I do not know what to do._

* * *

 The first mistake that the princes had made was not keeping their arguments behind closed doors. It had never been a secret that they often didn’t get along, but their fights had gotten more and more heated after Morgan’s near-abduction. His brothers refused to let him forget that much of the fault lay with Morgan, both for taking so long to realize that something was wrong and especially for taking so long when his partner pokemon had the ability to sense a person’s intentions.

Morgan didn’t take kindly to having his mistakes constantly thrown back into his face - though he still didn’t think his actions had been wrong - and would always remind his brothers of their respective shortcomings as well. His brothers felt the same about everything Morgan said, and the cycle would continue and sibling bickering would escalate into full-blown fights. First the brothers would begin brawling, then their respective partners would jump to their defense, which only resulted in further injury to all parties. They couldn’t go more than a few days without adding another bruise, cut, burn, or even broken bone to their collection.

The only one who could stop their fighting was their father, who often wasn’t informed of the incidents until too late. King Lucius could only try his best to keep his sons apart, but he was a busy man and the castle wasn’t nearly as big as it seemed. They always managed to find each other and start yet another fight.

The princes’ constant fighting took its toll on their father, though that had never been any of their intentions. The king made it no secret that he was frustrated and disappointed that they couldn’t control their tempers enough to at least refrain from fights becoming physical, but the message either never sank in or was forgotten the moment tempers flared once again.

Eventually, the king’s frustration brought him to his breaking point. It happened one evening, as the king was retiring for the night. He heard a commotion coming from down a hall, and he knew immediately what was happening. He followed the noise to a courtyard, where all three princes were furiously fighting. Each one of them was injured somehow, but was refusing to give in. Raleigh had a stream of blood rushing from a nose that was obviously broken, even from a distance, and Blaine appeared to be favoring his left side. Portions of both Blaine’s and Morgan’s clothing was smoking, and burned holes in them revealed bright red blisters underneath, and Morgan had a telling set of scratches across his face that said that Blaine’s Swellow had been involved.

“What is this?” King Lucius shouted, the princes freezing where they stood at the sound of their father’s voice. They all knew that a lecture was coming, and despite the fact that they already knew how their father felt about their fighting, something in his tone made him sound more harsh than usual. “How many times have I told you three to stop this nonsense?” When there was no response, he continued, “What do you expect to come from these fights? Victory? Satisfaction? Do you truly find joy in causing harm to your own brothers?” When he saw his sons shoot each other glares that they _must_ have thought were subtle, he pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. After a moment, he growled, “How am I meant to be confident that this kingdom will be in good hands when I am gone if my sons insist on warring between themselves?”

The princes all tried to speak at once in response to that statement, insisting that Almia _would_ be in good hands if they were made king rather than either of their brothers. Lucius, however, interrupted them before they could even begin to make their claims.

“It takes more than one man to rule a kingdom! You should be going to your brothers for counsel, regardless of who holds the title!” The king’s eyes narrowed. “But I can see that you cannot manage to even live in the same castle and keep the peace. My only option is to separate you all further. Permanently.” The brothers stared at their father in shock, and began to protest, but the king shouted, “I will hear no words against this decision! I have tried to get you to end your fighting, but you insisted on continuing! I cannot have this happening in this castle or anywhere else in Almia! My decision is final. You will leave in the morning. You may go anywhere in Almia so long as you are not near either of your brothers.” His face was like stone as he looked at his sons’ shocked ones. Before he turned to leave, he said, “Go find a physician, all of you. And try not to add any more injuries to the ones you already have on the way.”

* * *

  _I suppose we should have expected father to grow tired of our fights at some point, but I never expected something like this to happen. Lucario warned me that father’s patience was wearing thin to the point that it was having a significant effect on his aura - though I am not sure what exactly that means. Lucario simply assured me that it meant that I should listen to father and stop fighting with my brothers, but I could not just sit by as they insulted me. I know that they are just as flawed as I, if not moreso. And if they began attacking, I had to defend myself, did I not? I am not the only one in the wrong._

_I suppose it does not matter now. In all honesty, I should count myself lucky. Raleigh and Blaine left before I did, and before I could go anywhere, father stopped me and said that he thought that he may have made a terrible mistake. He asked me to stay, and I cannot adequately describe his expression when he did. I could not possibly refuse him. I had planned to perhaps go somewhere in the Chroma Valley, but I suppose that is unnecessary now. I did not ask father where Raleigh and Blaine planned to go, but I overheard him asking someone to send letters to my brothers. I believe he is planning to apologize and request that they return._

_I cannot say that I have faith that they will. After father left, Raleigh grew angry, and I am sure that anger has only festered, and if I know anything about Blaine, I am certain that his injured pride will prevent him from returning. Father’s letters will reach them - wherever they may be - in vain._

 

_X Month XX Day_

_I was correct. Father received letters back from Raleigh and Blaine today. They refuse to return. I do not mean to sound dramatic when I say that it feels as though a shadow has fallen over the castle, but it truly does feel that way._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not in the swing of writing like at all right now so if anybody's got concrit it'd be much appreciated!


	5. Entry Five

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reference for who people are:  
> The Red Prince: Raleigh  
> The Yellow Prince: Blaine  
> The Blue Prince: Morgan  
> The King of Almia: Lucius
> 
> Enjoy!

_X Month XX Day_

_The castle has been so quiet since Blaine and Raleigh left, and not even because we cannot fight anymore. I think that everyone around the castle is trying to avoid drawing father’s attention to themselves, and honestly, I am trying to do the same. I know it may sound ridiculous, trying to avoid my own father, but something about him seems changed. I have tried speaking with him since Blaine and Raleigh left, but every time has ended with him snapping at me and then sending me away. I think that he might blame me for the fights that led to his decision. Lucario assures me that I am wrong, but I cannot say that I entirely believe him. What other reason could he have for keeping me at a distance after asking me to stay? I do not intend to sound ungrateful, I simply do not understand._

_To make matters worse, I am the only one who can attend meetings with father now, even when it seems he wants nothing to do with me. Before, we were able to share daily responsibilities between us, but now that is obviously impossible. I do not remember sitting with father during meetings being so unbearable, though I suppose I never felt like I was not allowed to speak or move an inch before now. I am trying to have hope that things will return to a semblance of normalcy, but Lucario keeps looking at father strangely, and I get the feeling that he isn’t simply looking at his haggard appearance. I am afraid to ask him what is going on, but I fear that if things continue as they are, I will have to._

 

_X Month XX Day_

_Word of father’s shortened temper must have reached elsewhere in the kingdom because many of the people who came to court today seemed just as cautious around him as everyone else in the castle is. I never thought that I would be saying this, but their fear is actually justified. Father has been deciding an accused person’s guilt or innocence within moments of laying eyes on them, then sets harsher penalties for whatever crime they allegedly committed. For people coming to petition father for something, he dismisses them almost immediately without hearing their case. It is difficult to watch, especially when I know that he used to take far longer to decide what to do when the people came before him. I desperately want to help them, but I fear that speaking out will end badly. That is to say, I believe that he may decide to banish me just the same as he tried to before, except this time he will not change his mind._

_While part of my fear is caused by a selfish desire to remain at the only home I know, another part is because I fear what would happen if I were to leave. If father has changed this much since my brothers left, what would happen if he were completely alone? I know he does not seem to care for my presence now, but at least I am here. I can see just how much is changing, and if things get much worse I can at least try to step in._

 

_X Month XX Day_

_I do not want to admit it, but I need Blaine and Raleigh’s help. Father is going too far, and I am not able to handle this on my own. He is nowhere near being the same compassionate ruler that he used to be, and conditions around the castle have steadily been declining. Many of the farmers in Hia Valley had been coming to father to seek help regarding frosts and ice killing their crops. Father only told them to try harder to keep the Swinub and Spheal away from their fields. Several people came to ask for help building new fences and rebuilding some buildings that had been destroyed by fire, father essentially told them to figure it out on their own and dismissed them. Accusations of crimes have been rising, and father judges nearly all of them guilty. At this point, it is safe to assume that if one goes before the king for any reason, it will not have the outcome they expect. Suffice to say, most of the people coming to father now are alleged criminals, but I find it hard to believe that so many people are truly guilty._

_I am going to send messengers to my brothers. I do not know whether they will help or not, but it is the only option I really have. In the meantime, I have resolved to confront father tomorrow. If I am banished for that, I included a meeting location in my letters. I will not write it here, just in case someone is looking in places they should not, but it is merely a precautionary measure. With any luck, I will still be here at the end of the day tomorrow._

 

_X Month XX Day_

_I do not know if I have the words to describe what happened tonight. I did confront father, and I was miraculously not thrown out of the castle, but something_ _strange_ _terrifying_ _unsettling happened when I did._

* * *

 The throne room could not empty quickly enough after a long day of court. The dungeons were a bit more full, the people watching the king judge everyone guilty were a bit more afraid, and the prince standing next to him was a bit more stressed. He had spent the entirety of the day trying to go over what he would say to his father in his head, but even all that preparation could not ease his nerves. It had become increasingly obvious over the weeks that his father’s mood would never be agreeable, so no time would be better to talk to him than another. He had to say something to him now, before he lost any of the nerve that he had managed to build up.

As the king rose from the throne, Morgan approached him and cautiously asked, “Father, may I have a word with you?”

He had thought that the worst response that he could get was a refusal to speak with him, but his father’s expression managed to combine contempt and apathy in a way that nearly had Morgan ready to flee the throne room himself. King Lucius maintained eye contact with his son for a few moments, expecting him to continue speaking as he did, but as Morgan simply continued looking at him, eyes darting away and back again anxiously, he prompted impatiently, “Go on. What is it you want?”

Every thought that Morgan had regarding how this confrontation would go vanished the moment he had his opportunity to speak. He struggled to get words out, and he could see his father’s patience with him running thinner by the second. When he finally managed to speak, he said, “I- I’m worried about you, father.” He was slightly reassured by his father’s look of mild surprise, which allowed him to continue, “I’ve noticed some changes in your behavior in the past few weeks, and I wanted to ask… are you alright?”

After a moment, King Lucius snorted a laugh and said, “So you haven’t been falling asleep during court.” Morgan was taken aback, and opened his mouth to try to respond, but his father raised a hand to silence him. “I am fine, Morgan. You are worrying over nothing.”

_“He lies,”_ Lucario said, looking at the king with an unreadable expression. _“His aura is black as night. That is cause enough for concern.”_

Morgan pretended that his partner had said nothing, but the mention of his father’s aura confused him just as much as it concerned him. He needed to know what the significance of a person’s aura was before he broached that particular topic, but for now Morgan still needed to discuss other concerns. “But father, you have been sending nearly everyone who comes to ask for your aid away. Did you not teach Raleigh, Blaine, and I that we should try to help every person that comes to us?”

All the humor that had been in Lucius’ face vanished as soon as Morgan said his brothers’ names. “Sometimes there are greater priorities than the concerns of the common people. The people are capable of taking care of themselves.”

“What greater priorities do we have? Our priority should be to take care of the people, not lock them all in dungeons!”

“Do you question my judgment, boy? What do you know of ruling?” Lucius asked, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

“I know that this is not how you used to rule! You used to listen to your supplicants, not turn them all away! I do not understand how such a drastic change came about, but I _do_ know that it began once you banished Blaine and Raleigh!”

As he finished his statement, the king glared daggers into his son, and Morgan felt like all the warmth in the room disappeared. Lucius bellowed, _“SILENCE!”_ Lucario pushed Morgan back, placing himself protectively between the prince and his father. “I would have you remember that _you_ were part of the reason I sent them away!” As Morgan stared at his father, he could swear that his eyes were playing tricks on him. It was impossible for shadows to take a solid form, was it not? “If anything has changed, _you_ shoulder some of that responsibility!”

Morgan watched in confused fear as the darkness behind his father fully manifested as a large, shadowy pokemon. _“Darkrai,”_ Lucario supplied, sounding just as shocked and fearful as Morgan felt.

“F-father,” Morgan stuttered, “What-”

_“ENOUGH._ I am finished with this conversation. You will return to your room now.”

“But-”

_“Go.”_

Morgan didn’t need to be told a third time.

* * *

_As humiliating as it is to be sent to my room at this age, I have more important things on my mind. I asked Lucario what the significance of father’s aura was, and according to him, it essentially means that father is unwell in a way that a physician cannot treat. He said that when I had begun the conversation, there had been a slight change, but as I continued speaking, the darkness quickly returned, and that was when Darkrai appeared._

_Even Lucario does not know much about Darkrai, but he could sense that it had a strange sort of hostility toward me. It didn’t seem like it was going to attack, but it was certainly angry. I have not been afraid of the dark since I was young, but I do not know where Darkrai could be hiding. I may not be able to sense intentions as Lucario can, but even I could feel the power from this pokemon._

_I do not know what Darkrai is doing with father, but at this point, I know one thing for certain. Trying to contact Blaine and Raleigh was the right decision. I only hope that Darkrai cannot tell father that I did so and that they will actually agree to come._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *morgan voice* winter is coming
> 
> anyway heeeeeeeeeeres darkrai!


	6. Entry Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reference for who people are:
> 
> The Red Prince: Raleigh  
> The Yellow Prince: Blaine  
> The Blue Prince: Morgan
> 
> Before anyone gets into this, I just wanna say that I went with the idea that nobody's ever seen Darkrai before, so a pokemon being able to become a shadow sounds really fake to people who just hear about it. So it's like legendary pokemon are REALLY rare and some people don't think they actually exist.
> 
> With that out of the way, enjoy the chapter!

_X Month XX Day_

_I suppose I can say that one good thing came of my discussion with father: I am no longer required to stand in court with him. Of course, it concerns me that I will not know what exactly he is doing, but at least I will not be missed when I go to see if Blaine and Raleigh actually decided to answer my call for help. I do not know how far they may need to travel, so my plan is to go to the meeting place every day. If they come, I will find them there at some point._ ~~_If they do not_ ~~ _I would prefer not to think about what will happen if they do not come._

_I have a few concerns about being followed, especially because I can never know where Darkrai might be at any given time. It can hide in the shadows, so it could be anywhere. I have taken to staying in any patch of light I can find so that it cannot get close to me without my knowledge. I am eternally grateful for the light provided by a Rapidash’s mane for the same reason. Even if it follows me, I’ll know if it tries to do anything._

_I think nights are going to be difficult from now on. I am going to keep a fire in the hearth at all times and candles all around my room, but every time I closed my eyes last night I was struck by the fear that it would come while I was sleeping. I woke up this morning in a chair next to the fire, but I cannot say I really remember falling asleep. Lucario has offered to keep watch if it would make me feel safer, but I cannot take him up on that offer. I do not think that it will help. I should be fine. I will just sleep when I am too exhausted to be afraid._  


_X Month XX Day_

_They came. They actually came. I feel like there was a part of me that was convinced that they would not, but they did._

* * *

 Morgan held on for dear life as the Rapidash raced around the lake in front of the castle. He’d never been the best rider -- that title was Raleigh’s to claim, Morgan could admit that -- but he wanted to get to the Crysta Cave and back as quickly as possible. Glancing back at the castle, Morgan could see a dark shape flitting around the towers, and he was struck by sudden panic. He urged Rapidash to run even faster, ducking his head as if that would make him less noticeable.

He only slowed once he reached the pine forest on the other side of the lake. It was fairly sparse, which allowed the sunlight to come through more than simply in patches, but it gave enough cover to reduce the risk of someone looking out a window and seeing where exactly he was going. It at the very least made Morgan feel better to not be completely exposed. He still looked into the shade with apprehension, but there was never any indication that anything was there.

A few minutes after Morgan slowed Rapidash to a walk, Lucario caught up, having been left behind when Morgan fled. There was a scolding tone in his mental voice as he asked, _“Was it truly necessary to run off like that?”_

Morgan chuckled anxiously, “Sorry. I thought I saw Darkrai and feared that it would see me as well.”

_“And you thought its sight would not be drawn to a swiftly moving figure?”_

“Thank you, Lucario. You are a master of reassurance,” Morgan groaned, looking to the sky. “I hadn’t thought of that. It’s probably going to find out I’m going somewhere and tell father, then _he’ll_ figure out that I asked Blaine and Raleigh to return.”

_“Was it not your belief that your father wanted your brothers back?”_

“It _is_ , I just…” Morgan trailed off, then restarted, “I don’t want it to happen here. And I don’t think father would agree to see them if he knew. You saw how he reacted when I simply mentioned their names, I can’t imagine he’d have a better reaction if I suggested he contact them, let alone allow them to visit.”

_“So you are going to surprise him with their presence somewhere? You think that will go over better?”_

“I don’t _know_ , maybe! I don’t even know if they’re coming, I haven’t planned that far!”

“Are you talking to yourself again, baby brother?”

“I think he is. Such a shame, our little brother lost to lunacy.”

For a moment, Morgan thought that he was imagining the pair of familiar voices. He didn’t dare get his hopes too high, but all the same he urged Rapidash forward, and as he came into the clearing just outside Crysta Cave, he felt at least a small amount of his stress lift from his shoulders. He surprised himself when he laughed, suddenly feeling _able_ to again for the first time in what felt like an eternity. “Lunacy? Have you two been gone so long that you forgot that Lucario can communicate with me without speaking?”

Raleigh grinned as Morgan dismounted. “You _claim_ he can, anyway.” He approached the Rapidash to pat her neck, teasing, “So you finally got the guts to ride, eh? How fast did you ask her to go? A walk?”

Morgan sent him an annoyed yet amused look, answering, “Fast enough to outpace Lucario. Not all of us want to ride like the wind at all times, _Raleigh._ ”

Raleigh snorted a short laugh. “You’ve clearly never tried it.”

“I don’t think I want to.”

“Your loss.”

“Morgan,” Blaine interrupted, sounding impatient with his brothers’ idle conversation. “I believe you summoned us here for a reason. You said that something was wrong with father?”

Suddenly, Morgan felt all of his stress and exhaustion return in full force. Seeing that his brothers were actually _there_ and even his short chat with Raleigh had been like a small reprieve from it all -- something going _right_ for once. But Morgan had known that there wouldn’t be much dancing around the subject. He almost wished that he’d just continued stressing through it all, because the short break made it feel a thousand times more intense. “Yeah,” Morgan began, “Yeah, something’s wrong. And I’ve found out a bit more regarding that something since I wrote to you.”

As he recounted his tale of confronting their father and discovering the shadowy pokemon, Darkrai, Morgan could see their expressions shift from curious to confused to concerned. However, he got the uneasy feeling that they weren’t concerned for the right reasons. “I think that Darkrai may have something to do with father’s change. I don’t know how, but I’ve never seen anything like that before, and Lucario said that it was hostile when it appeared behind father. I can’t think of anything else that could cause a change this drastic.”

There was a moment of silence after Morgan finished. Then Raleigh asked, “Are you sure that you haven’t been lost to lunacy?”

“What- Yes! I’m not a lunatic, I saw what I saw!”

Blaine’s tone was similarly skeptical. “Morgan, do you really expect us to believe that father is being controlled by a pokemon?”

“I never said that he was being _controlled,_ I just think he’s being _influenced_.”

“By a shadow.”

“By a _pokemon_.”

Blaine shook his head. “I’m sorry, Morgan, but you’ll have to forgive me for finding this a bit too hard to swallow.”

“ _Hard to-_ ” Morgan cut himself off with a loud groan of frustration, his hands tangling in his own hair as he paced a small circle in an attempt to release _any_ of his stress. “Okay,” he said, releasing his hair and holding his hands up, “Fine. You don’t believe me? Follow me. I saw it flying around the towers just before I came out here. I’ll let you see for yourselves and _then_ you can tell me I’m making things up.”

* * *

_By some miracle, Darkrai was still flying around the towers when we arrived at the edge of the forest where the castle was within sight. They were not able to get as good of a look as I did, but they could see enough to know that it was not simply a bird pokemon. They could see enough to convince them. They later told me that they had heard news of father’s changes even in the farther reaches of Almia, so they had not been too surprised to hear about it from me, they just did not want to think that it was caused by some strange, possibly hallucinated being._

_After they were convinced, we returned to the entrance of Crysta Cave to discuss things further. I suggested my idea to have them meet father and I somewhere other than the castle, and they both agreed to that suggestion. On top of my own reasons for not wanting them to meet in the castle, Blaine and Raleigh both said that they would feel safer if they were on neutral ground. Evidently, they do not want to return home to the castle. Raleigh claims to be happy in Boyleland and Blaine is happy in the Haruba Desert. Or rather the village. I am not shocked that Raleigh ended up settling in a warm place, but I would not have expected Blaine to have settled down in a desert of all places. I wonder how he deals with all the sand?_

_In any case, we have already decided upon the neutral ground where all three of us will try to talk some sense into father: the Chroma Valley. I remember we used to visit there on occasion when we were younger, so I figured that I might be able to appeal to some of father’s nostalgia in order to convince him, and it was close enough to the sea for Raleigh and Blaine to be potentially able to make an escape if it becomes necessary. With luck, it will not be, but it is better to be safe than sorry._

_Honestly, I am a bit surprised that we were able to get along long enough to formulate this plan. With how things were when we were last together, some may have thought that we would kill each other on sight if Blaine and Raleigh ever returned. Perhaps it is because we now have a common concern, or maybe even simply because we have not seen each other in a long time. Perhaps we simply cannot stand living together._

_I can only hope that everything with father goes as well as everything with my brothers and that father will not explode with anger the moment he sees me again. I must be prepared for the worst and hope for the best._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's kinda slow going but we're almost to the end. I think it might be like two more chapters? Maybe? Anyway I appreciate the feedback I've been getting it makes me feel good inside so thanks so much C:


	7. Entry Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reference for who people are:  
> The Red Prince: Raleigh  
> The Yellow Prince: Blaine  
> The Blue Prince: Morgan  
> The King of Almia: Lucius
> 
> This chapter got....... pretty long. Here's hoping that just means more to enjoy c:

_X Month XX Day_

_Approaching father has never been more difficult. Even the last time I did was easier, at least then he was not angry with me. This time, there was a fairly high chance that he would be, especially since I was going to be trying to convince him to leave the castle for a few days. I have taken a few steps to make it easier, but I still do not know how effective they will be. For example, when I returned from meeting with Blaine and Raleigh, I went to Douglas, one of father’s advisors, and asked him if he would help me convince him. He agreed, even adding that he hoped that perhaps a short break from the throne could help father’s temper. I did not tell him any details, obviously leaving out that my brothers would be there as well. I cannot risk father learning about that before we arrive. In any case, it is somewhat reassuring to have some support that father might actually listen to if he will not listen to me._

* * *

When Morgan tried to approach his father again, King Lucius was walking and arguing with several of his advisors. His voice was the most clear out of all of them, and -- if Morgan was hearing correctly -- it sounded as if it was less an argument and more the king making poor decisions and shouting down every piece of advice that anyone tried to give him. It wasn’t exactly heartening to find out, but Morgan didn’t have time to wait for a better opportunity. Past that, Morgan likely wouldn’t _get_ a better opportunity.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward, calling out, “Father, may I speak with you?”

King Lucius turned to face his son with a frustrated glare that would have stopped an unprepared person in their tracks, but Morgan had already received a look like that before, and knew that he would likely receive it again. He continued toward his father as calmly as he could, even when he snapped, “What do you want? Can’t you see that I’m busy?”

“I know you are, I promise that this won’t take long,” Morgan said quickly, hoping that he would actually have his attention and not be simply brushed off. He was rewarded with a flat stare from his father and several concerned looks from his advisors, prompting him to get on with it. Looking down in pretend shame, he continued, “I wanted to apologize for what I said last time we spoke. I did not intend to anger you, but I made assumptions too quickly and I’m sorry.”

Morgan kept his eyes lowered even after he finished, desperately hoping that this whole plan wouldn’t blow up in his face. He thought that he’d prepared himself for anything, but he couldn’t stop himself from flinching when a hand landed on his shoulder. Finally looking up, Morgan was stunned to see an approving look on his father’s face. He had the barest hint of a smile, but it seemed genuine and was more than Morgan had seen in a long time. “Thank you, Morgan. It takes courage to apologize for your mistakes. I’m proud of you for being able to do so. I accept your apology.”

It took a few seconds for Morgan’s shock to wear off, but then a relieved grin spread across his face. He exhaled a laugh, releasing some of his pent-up, nervous tension, and as his father patted his shoulder a few times, he almost felt like that contact would send him to the ground. It was only when Lucario’s voice came into his mind, saying, _“The king’s aura has lightened. Now is the best time you will get to ask him to join you.”_

“If that is all, there are things that I must attend-”

“Wait!” Morgan cried, panic making his voice louder than expected, which startled both himself and everyone around him. He coughed nervously, consciously getting his voice back to a normal level before saying, “There _was_ one more thing.” He hesitated for a moment, wary about ruining their relationship again, but ultimately braced himself as he asked, “I know this is a sudden request, but I’ve been thinking: it’s been a while since we’ve left the castle, hasn’t it? And I don’t mean just going outside into the town or visiting the lake, I mean actually _leaving_ for a few days.” King Lucius didn’t look pleased with the suggestion of leaving, and the advisors who _hadn’t_ known what Morgan had been going to ask looked at Morgan like he was crazy. “I know you’re busy, but surely you could leave Almia in the hands of your advisors to go to the Chroma Valley with me?”

Lucius laughed incredulously. “Morgan, this group of fools would bring the kingdom to the ground without my guidance-”

“Your majesty,” Douglas cut in, much to Morgan’s relief and the other advisors’ shock. “I admire your dedication to your duties, but you have been working yourself to the bone recently. It certainly couldn’t hurt for you to take a short break. And besides, it would take a great deal of effort for a group of fools to bring a kingdom to ruin in two short days.”

The king sneered, “I suppose that’s true.” As Lucius considered his options, Morgan shot a look of gratitude to Douglas. The advisor gave him a slight nod of acknowledgment as the king spoke again. “Alright, Morgan. We will set out the day after tomorrow.”

Morgan felt almost lightheaded with the amount of relief that came with hearing that statement. A wide, relieved grin spread across his face, and he said, “Thank you, father. Thank you.”

* * *

_I cannot believe that actually worked. I knew that an apology would be the best way to get father’s attention, but I did not realize that it would be so effective. I sent Lucario with letters to tell my brothers that father and I will be arriving in the Chroma Valley a few days from now, and even before that Lucario said that father’s aura remained lighter than it had been before, even after our conversation had ended. This venture might actually work._

 

_X Month XX Day_

~~_Oh g_ ~~

~~_How cou_ ~~

~~_What have I done_ ~~

* * *

The Chroma Valley was a beautiful place. Anywhere one looked, they would be looking upon a sea of wildflowers in an array of colors. When King Lucius and Prince Morgan arrived, the sun was shining, a pleasantly cool breeze was blowing, and a variety of pokemon were going about their lives among the flowers. Morgan had high hopes for how the day would turn out. His father had seemed much more _himself_ since they’d left, and it was such a beautiful day that it was difficult to imagine that anything going wrong.

The moment the other two princes came into view, however, Morgan’s hopes were dashed by a furious look from his father.

“Morgan,” Lucius began, a dangerous edge to his voice. “What exactly is going on here?”

Morgan avoided answering his father’s question just as he avoided looking him in the eyes. He kept his eyes locked on his brothers as they approached, slowly stepping to the side to create some distance between himself and his father. _“Your father’s aura is growing dark again, Morgan. You must take caution, this is greater fury than I’ve ever felt from him before,”_ Lucario warned, taking steps forward to place himself as much between Morgan and Lucius as he could without calling attention to it.

Morgan didn’t reply, and he only looked to his father when he noticed movement, and took a panicked few steps back as the king advanced towards him. “What is the meaning of this, Morgan,” Lucius demanded, glaring down at his son in a way that made Morgan feel incredibly small and guilty. “You knew that- that _they_ would be here.” He spat the word that referred to Morgan’s brothers like it was a curse, and Morgan flinched at the force that was behind the words. “I banished them for a reason, so _why_ are they here now?”

“But you tried to call them back,” Morgan said, his voice shaking slightly. “I remember, you wanted them to come home!”

“And they refused!” Lucius shouted. “If they had wanted to return, they would have, and whether or not they could return in the future is _not_ for you to decide!”

“Well now, father,” Raleigh called, saving Morgan from having to respond again. “A discussion like this makes it sound as though you are not happy to see us.”

“Good,” Lucius said, turning his glare toward his eldest son and allowing his youngest to escape to a safe distance. “It is getting the correct feeling across.”

Each of the princes wore a different expression in the face of their father’s wrath. Raleigh appeared overconfident, not taking the situation as seriously as he should have. He knew that their father had changed, but he had never seen it before with his own eyes. He didn’t know the extent of his change in temperament. He simply kept talking, not paying too much mind to the amount of ire in the king’s eyes.

Blaine’s brow was furrowed, observing his father’s interactions with Raleigh and comparing it to the one with Morgan. Like Raleigh, he also hadn’t known the extent of his father’s change, but Blaine was putting the pieces together while Raleigh kept him occupied.

Morgan was frozen with fear, getting updates from Lucario regarding what his father’s aura was doing and what his intentions were, and _none_ of it was good news. According to Lucario, it was getting darker by the second, and Raleigh’s words weren’t exactly helping deescalate the situation.

When Blaine finally spoke, he didn’t ask any questions about what had happened, or demand an explanation. He simply made a blunt observation. “Morgan was right. That shadow pokemon _did_ change your behaviors.”

“What?” Confusion crossed his face for a brief moment before anger returned. He set his sights on his youngest again, asking, “ _That_ is what you believed? That I was being controlled by some pokemon?” At Morgan’s lost expression, Lucius laughed, loud and condescending. “That’s what _all_ of you believed? Morgan, didn’t you learn your lesson about jumping to conclusions just the other day?”

Morgan paled as he watched Darkrai manifest at his father’s side, distantly hearing Raleigh’s Rapidash neighing and bucking in distress as his brother whispered a not-so-quiet, “What the fuck?”

“ _I_ am not controlled by Darkrai. Darkrai is controlled by _me!_ ” Lucius roared, shadows filling the valley until the sun was nearly blotted out. The area was only illuminated by the light of Rapidash’s flames, and that made Lucius appear that much more intimidating. “I will not tolerate my own son spreading false rumors about me any longer,” he said more evenly, but with a frightening edge that cut through Morgan when he finished. “Darkrai, get rid of him.”

The first thing Morgan noticed was that the ground beneath him began to feel as infirm as sand, but it rose around his feet like water. It was only when he tried to move his feet that he realized that it was sticky as well, and as he looked down, he was horrified to see that it wasn’t the ground rising around him -- it was _him_ sinking into the ground. Then, Morgan noticed that it wasn’t even the ground he was sinking into. Darkness crept up from his own shadow, pulling him down into it inch by inch. Morgan struggled to escape his own shadow in vain, begging, “Father, _please!_ Don’t do this!”

Both Blaine and Raleigh had begun shouting protests immediately after their father had given the order. As Raleigh shouted, “Father, what are you _doing?_ ” Blaine cried, “He’s your _son,_ are you out of your mind?” But their father heard none of it. He only watched as the prince in blue was slowly pulled deeper and deeper into the world of shadows.

Lucario growled, reaching out to Blaine to say, _“Tell your Swellow to pull Morgan free! I will deal with Darkrai myself, but you must help Morgan!”_

Blaine was slightly unnerved by the sudden voice that entered his mind, but he didn’t question it too much. He didn’t need to think it over to know that it was likely the only thing he could do to save his little brother. “Swellow, get Morgan out of there!”

There were only a few seconds between Blaine’s shout and the feeling of claws wrapping tightly around Morgan’s upper arms. Swellow beat its wings as hard as it could, but the shadows clung to Morgan like tar, and Swellow’s best efforts could only drag him out just as quickly as he’d been sucked in.

Darkrai made a strange growling sound, and Morgan thought for a moment that the shadows were climbing higher again. Then, there was a flash of blue light, and a similar but more surprised sound followed it. There were a few more flashes, which distracted Darkrai enough for Swellow to have the time he needed to pull Morgan free.

Swellow set Morgan down next to Raleigh and Rapidash, where Raleigh immediately helped his brother onto his partner’s back. After what he’d just seen, there was no way he’d trust the ground to remain firm beneath Morgan’s feet with Darkrai around. Morgan himself was grateful for both that reason and because he wasn’t sure he’d be able to stand on his own.

When the next few flashes of blue rushed toward Darkrai, Morgan could finally see what it was. The light began as a sort of halo around Lucario’s body, then coalesced between his paws until the pokemon launched the ball of light at Darkrai. It was an impressive display, and it distracted Darkrai well enough, but it was able to dodge each attack easily once Lucario lost the element of surprise.

It was obvious to everyone watching that Lucario was no match for Darkrai, no matter how hard he fought. It was that fact, combined with the conviction that Darkrai and their father had to be stopped, that led Blaine to shout, “Cresselia, I call for your aid!”

All movement seemed to halt at his words, as if the universe was waiting in anticipation. Barely a moment later, a sound like wind chimes filled the air, and some of the darkness was lifted as soft pink and yellow light was released by the pokemon that Blaine had called ‘Cresselia.’

Darkrai immediately seemed to forget about Lucario and the fight that it had been engaged in, favoring an attack on its rival instead. Cresselia was a far better match for its power, which was made very clear each time Cresselia broke through Darkrai’s shadowy attacks with its own soft moonlight.

Lucario took advantage of his battle being interrupted to return to Morgan’s side and ask, _“Are you hurt?”_

“Physically, no,” Morgan whispered, trying to avoid drawing attention to himself. “Did Darkrai ever manage to hit you?”

_“Not enough to be of consequence.”_

“One good thing, I guess,” Morgan mumbled, running his hand absently over Rapidash’s neck as he tried to think through the cloud of fear in his mind. The flashes from the fight drew Morgan’s attention back, prompting him to ask, “Is there any way that Cresselia can win this fight?”

At that moment, Darkrai managed to land a hit on Cresselia, causing it to cry out in pain and anger. Lucario seemed to hesitate, but answered, _“It is unlikely. Powerful as it may be, Darkrai has a significant advantage.”_

“There must be _something_ we can do!”

There was another beat of hesitation.

_“There may be one option.”_

“Do it. I don’t care what it is, if it can put an end to this, just do it.”

_“Morgan, my friend, you do not unders-”_

“I don’t care!” Morgan whispered desperately. “Just finish this!”

_“...Of course.”_

As Lucario walked back towards the fight, Raleigh asked warily, “Morgan, what are you planning?” Morgan didn’t answer, only watched as his partner completely ignored the other fighting pokemon, instead targeting King Lucius himself.

Similar to how Lucario had glowed blue when he attacked Darkrai, King Lucius glowed a dark purple the moment Lucario was close enough. The King attempted to fight off Lucario, but quickly found that he was trapped within his own aura. The moment Darkrai noticed the danger its master was in, it attempted to rush to its aid, but Cresselia refused to allow it to leave the fight.

The three princes watched in horrified awe as the light surrounding their father began to coalesce and turn solid, just as it had on a smaller scale in Lucario’s paws. The last any of them saw of their father’s face was an expression of rage, hate, and sheer betrayal. Then there was nothing more of their father but a truly _massive_ crystal, filled with all of the hateful energy that had resided in the king’s heart.

There were a few moments of complete silence before Darkrai released an angry cry that startled all of the princes into action. Raleigh swung up onto Rapidash behind Morgan, shouting, “Run!” Lucario ran beside Rapidash, and Blaine and Swellow were not far behind, taking to the skies and following the other's from above. Cresselia was the only one keeping Darkrai from following them, and even then it was only barely.

And even Cresselia could not fight forever. Raleigh could see that even as he turned to look at the scene they were leaving behind. As they reached the crest of the valley, he made his decision. “Heatran! I need your help!”

Morgan shot his brother a look of pure confusion, only made more so when he was struck by a sudden wave of heat. Morgan stared at the seemingly-molten pokemon, and still was when Blaine flew down and demanded, “Why have you stopped? We have a shadow demon on our tails _if_ you haven’t noticed!”

“Of course I _noticed_ , I’m not an idiot!” Raleigh defended, obviously frustrated at having to do so. “I’m _trying_ to take care of that little situation.”

“Oh yeah? How?”

“Heatran, fill the valley with lava.”

**_“What?”_ **

At the red prince’s command, Heatran began calling forth huge amounts of magma from the earth, sending pokemon fleeing for their lives as the flowers caught fire and lava slowly overtook the valley. Darkrai’s priorities seemed to shift again, this time to protecting the crystal that had once been the king of Almia. Once Darkrai created a barrier of energy around it, Cresselia disappeared, satisfied that its job was finished. The lava rose around Darkrai’s barrier, but its power could only go so high. It was soon covered, and as the lava continued to rise, Raleigh was satisfied that they were safe.

“Come on,” he said, “Let’s get to the river. No point in staying here any longer.”

* * *

As Morgan sat near the fire, he attempted to write an account of everything that had happened in his journal, but nothing seemed quite right and every few seconds he would furiously cross out everything he had just written.

Eventually, the sound got on Raleigh’s nerves just a _bit_ too much, and he snapped, “Could you _please_ cut that out? Just fucking pick some words and write them down!”

“Hey, why don’t _you_ try putting everything that just happened back there into words! I can’t just say ‘yeah, the meeting we planned went straight to hell, I almost died, Blaine’s got some weird moon pokemon partner, I turned father into a giant rock, we almost got killed by a shadow, and Raleigh essentially destroyed the Chroma Valley!’”

“Why not? That’s _basically_ what happened.”

“‘Basically’ isn’t good enough! I need details! I need this description while it’s all fresh in my mind!”

“You think something like _that_ is going to leave you? Morgan, if it does, trust me, I’ll remind you.”

“I don’t need reminders! It’s the details I might lose, not the big things!” Morgan seemed to lose his steam as he said, “Like I could forget that _I’m_ the one who _killed_ father.”

Neither Raleigh nor Blaine said anything, they simply looked at each other with concern as Morgan kept going with a strained laugh, “God, what the _fuck_ are we supposed to do now? Things were shitty before, but now? Father’s _gone_ so Almia doesn’t have a king, everything’s going to fall apart, and I just singlehandedly destroyed _everything_ father ever worked for.” Morgan’s head crashed heavily into the book resting on his knees. “Can one of you just execute me for regicide and patricide now?” he mumbled hopelessly.

There was a second of silence as his brothers processed everything Morgan had just said. Raleigh was the first to react. With an awkward sounding laugh, he said, “Hey, don’t take _all_ the credit. I’m the one who buried the evidence.” He shot Blaine a pointed look, and thankfully he seemed to get the idea.

“Yeah, and I’m the one who distracted his guard so that you could have the opportunity. If one of us is guilty, then we all are.”

Morgan didn’t look up, but he did let out another strained, hopeless laugh. “Then we’re all going to be executed for regicide. _Great_.”

“Hey,” Blaine snapped, getting Morgan to look up as well as getting Raleigh’s attention. “ _Nobody_ but us knows what happened here. If we don’t tell anybody, nobody will know. Right?”

“And how are we supposed to explain where father is? We can’t just go back to the castle with no explanation why he’s not with me!”

“Just say he decided to see Boyleland with Raleigh or Haruba with me.”

“How am I going to do that if…” Morgan trailed off, realization dawning on his face. His voice was small when he spoke again, “You’re not coming back with me?”

Blaine and Raleigh both shook their heads. “It’s not our home anymore,” Raleigh explained, trying to be patient.

“Yeah, but…” Morgan trailed off for a second, too many protests crossing his mind but most of them stupid save for one. “I’m not- I’m not _ready_ to be in charge of an entire kingdom.”

Raleigh laughed, “ _Oh_ yeah. None of us are. We’re all disasters.”

Blaine cracked a grin, and he thought he saw Morgan do the same. “How about we split the kingdom? At least for now. Raleigh can rule Boyleland and the Chroma Valley- Don’t look at me like that, _you’re_ the one who made it volcanic. I’ll take Haruba and the southern part of the forest, and Morgan can have Hia Valley and the northwest part of the forest. Sound good to everybody?”

“As good as anything _can_ sound right now.”

Morgan was quiet for a moment. “I’m not going to call myself king.”

Raleigh reached over and pulled his youngest brother into a one-shouldered hug. “Nobody’s asking you to.”

Blaine decided to join in on the other side and said, “Yeah. Let’s just keep being the three princes of Almia.”

They sat there in silence for a few minutes, with only the crackling of the fire and the water flowing over rocks in the river. Then Morgan laughed bitterly, shaking his head. “Can you _believe_ this fucking started with us arguing over who should be king? And now here we are! Nobody’s going to be king!” He continued laughing at the ridiculousness of it all, and it wasn’t long before all three were laughing through their grief.


	8. Entry Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reference for who people are:  
> The Red Prince: Raleigh  
> The Yellow Prince: Blaine  
> The Blue Prince: Morgan
> 
> I probably could have split this chapter into two, but I didn't really want to, so here's the grand finale! Enjoy and stay tuned for the end notes for a bunch of stuff that I couldn't find a place for in the actual thing.

_X Month XX Day_

_I think that things are going as smoothly as they can be. I am fairly certain that everyone in the castle believes my story about father going to visit Blaine and Raleigh and sending me back to rule in his place until he returns, but I am not sure how long it will be until they begin to suspect. Hopefully one of my brothers will think of something before that happens - I do not think that I will be able to with how busy I have been._

_It is not a surprise that being in charge is difficult, but combined with how I came to be here, to say that I am overwhelmed is an understatement. I am trying to do what I think father would have done, but I still do not know if I am making the right decisions. It just seems like more problems arise every day. Father’s advisors have been helping me - though I suppose that is their job - but ultimately all of the decisions are on my shoulders._

_An early snow has been falling ever since I returned to the castle. I am trying my best to get the people prepared for winter, but I do not really know how to do that. The harvest was not quite ready, but the snow showed no sign of stopping, so I told the farmers to gather what they could, but that might not be enough to last until spring. I do not know what I can do if it is not. I will have to ask someone about what options there will be in that scenario tomorrow._

_But things like that are the main things that I have had to deal with. I am exhausted. I have been sleeping even worse than before, likely because of the stress from both being in charge and keeping the secret of what happened in the Chroma Valley. Even past that, though I do not know why, I am still afraid that something in the shadows is watching me. Lucario has assured me that nothing is there, but the fear lingers. I have continued my habit of falling asleep in the chair by the fire, partially because I know that I am not going to get to sleep for a long time anyway. At least I have an opportunity to write. I suppose it might be embarrassing once someone other than Lucario finds me asleep in a chair rather than a bed, but I will deal with that when it happens._

 

_X Month XX Day_

_This snow is intense. It has not stopped nor slowed for several days, and I have been told that it is trapping people in their homes. I think that I am going to open the castle to allow them to have better shelter, it should be at least slightly warmer here. I just do not want to hear that someone has frozen to death when I could have done something to help._

 

_X Month XX Day_

_I do not know how, but two letters arrived today, my hands only. The snow still has not stopped, so I have no idea how the messenger managed to get them here, but they did, and they were from my brothers. Raleigh’s was dated several days before Blaine’s, so he must have sent his first, then the messenger must have been delayed by the snow until Blaine’s letter made it to their hands._

* * *

  _X Month XX Day_

_Blaine and Morgan,_

_I do not know what troubles you might be facing, but I can only hope that news of what is happening in Boyleland has reached you both. If it has not, then you must know: the volcano on the island has begun erupting. A cloud of smoke blots out the sky and lava crawls closer and closer to the village. Boats are being built so that we can escape to the sea until it stops, but we need assistance. If either of you can send help, please. We desperately need it._

__\- Raleigh_ _

* * *

  _X Month XX Day_

_Raleigh and Morgan,_

_I am replying to both of you so that Morgan will know about the situation in Haruba as well. There has been a sandstorm raging in the desert and the village for several days. I am sorry Raleigh, but we in Haruba can hardly exit our houses. Water is scarce enough, and conserving and finding more is my biggest concern right now. I hope your situation is better than ours, Morgan._

__\- Blaine_ _

* * *

 After reading the letters, Morgan leaned forward and buried is face in his hands, groaning in exhausted desperation. The dates on the letters were long enough ago that Morgan couldn’t be sure if he would be too late to help, even if he were able. The snow would make it nearly impossible for him or anyone else to travel to their aid, and even if he did somehow make it to either Boyleland or Haruba, he might find an island covered in nothing but lava or a village buried in sand. There was nothing he could do, and he’d never felt more useless.

His thoughts swirled around how hopeless the situation was, how unprepared they were to handle any of the responsibility that had suddenly fallen to them, and how this _must_ be their comeuppance for what they’d done to their father. Then he shot up, struck by a sudden realization. Perhaps all of these disasters _were_ happening because of what they’d done to their father.

“Lucario!” He cried, quickly getting to his feet and turning on his heel, startling his pokemon in the process. “Lucario, I need to know, what exactly I told you to do in Chroma Valley. I know I said I didn’t care in that moment, but now it’s important.”

_“Was it not important then?”_

“I _guess_ , yeah, but he was about to kill us then! Now I need to know so I can fix whatever it was!”

_“Morgan, I do not think it is possible to fix it.”_

“What do you mean?”

_“When I used my aura to distract Darkrai from dragging you into its void, I made it solid so that it could cause physical harm. What I did to the king was similar. I made his aura solid, and on that scale it appears that it turns an aura into a crystal. Even I did not know that would happen, I simply knew that it was a way that I could attempt to stop him.”_

Morgan was almost holding his breath as he listened to Lucario, and he tapped his fist against his chin restlessly as he took in the information. “Okay, but do you know if that could be causing anything else to happen? Like this never-ending snowstorm or anything other seemingly natural occurrence?”

_“I… do not know. Like I said, I did not know that the king’s aura would crystallize, so I do not know if it would have any other effects.”_

Morgan began pacing as he tried to think of anything that might help find the truth, and he was staring deep into space when he asked, “What about any other energy? You said father’s aura was dark, can you sense any energy like that now?”

Lucario did not respond immediately, which Morgan took to mean that he was checking. When he finally responded, he confirmed Morgan’s suspicion. _“I can sense the same kind of energy from your father’s aura. It is not as strong as it was when we were in the Chroma Valley, but it is there.”_

“So it’s possible that father’s aura being crystallized could allow his aura’s energy to reach farther than it could when it was just around him?”

_“I suppose. What are you thinking?”_

Morgan hesitated for a moment. “Is there anything that can be done to counteract that energy? If that is possible, it could stop the snow, the eruption, the sandstorm! It could save the lives of all of the people in Almia!” The prospect of that excited Morgan. He had an idea of what was going on, and if he knew that, then there was hope of finding a way to fix it. The situation may not be as hopeless as it seemed.

_“Morgan.”_ Lucario’s tone was solemn but soft, as if he did not want to crush his hopes, but had to if he was going to give him an answer at all. _“The only way I can think of to combat your father’s aura is with another aura.”_

Morgan’s brow wrinkled in confusion for a moment, but as realization crept in, all of the hope fell away from his face. “So,” Morgan began weakly, clearing his throat. “If we want to get rid of this snowstorm, someone will have to allow their aura to be crystallized just as father’s was.”

_“Someone with a strong, bright aura. Yes.”_

Morgan exhaled a long, shaky breath, running his hand through his hair. He glanced at the window in his room, half covered in snow and half obscured by icicles. He thought about all of the people taking shelter in the castle, how little food there was, and how long the winter might be if he did nothing. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and nodded decisively. “Okay. I caused this, so I’ll have to fix it.”

_“I had a feeling you would say that,”_ Lucario said quietly. _“But there is another problem. Even with as bright as your aura is, it will not be enough to reach all over Almia. It may not even be enough to entirely cancel out your father’s energies. I fear that your brothers will have to make the same sacrifice that you plan to.”_

Morgan went silent again. Part of him immediately thought of the arguments he’d had with his brothers and he almost believed that they would refuse if he asked. Then he reminded himself of the letters that his brothers had written, setting aside everything for the sake of seeking help for their people. “They will. If it will help save their people, they will.”

* * *

_Lucario and I are going to Boyleland and Haruba Village to find my brothers in a few days. I am sending letters ahead containing our theory regarding father’s aura and the solution. Hopefully it will reach them and they will be able to consider the idea before Lucario and I arrive._

_Before we leave, however, I have decided to evacuate Hia Valley. There is no way that there will be enough food to last the winter, even if I can stop this snow. It will still be winter, and the food will not last. I’m going to help make preparations here before I head to Haruba Village, then I will leave Douglas in charge of leading everyone out to the forest on the other side of Crysta Cave. With any luck, they will be able to get through the winter more easily there._

 

_X Month XX Day_

_Blaine agreed._

* * *

 When Morgan arrived in Haruba Village, Blaine immediately gave him a large scarf to protect his face from the flying sand. He did not bother bringing Morgan to one of the houses in the desert, instead leading him and Lucario deeper into the desert until they eventually reached a large structure built into the side of a cliff. Once inside, they were able to take off the scarves, and Morgan looked around in awe. “What is this place?”

“Hippowdon Temple. You said that my aura, once crystallized, is going to be powerful enough to combat father’s? If you think that no one will want to possess something like that, you’re more naive than I thought.”

Morgan shot Blaine a defensive look, and he was about to say something in his own defense, but then realized that he was right. He deflated, admitting, “I hadn’t thought of that.”

“That’s why you have me, little brother,” Blaine said with a wry grin. “Now come on. I want to be in the deepest part of the temple when we do this.”

Blaine led Morgan and Lucario through the temple, showing them how exactly to get through the traps that were set up throughout it, and soon enough they were several floors underground, and Morgan was absolutely convinced that this was the safest place that Blaine’s aura could possibly be. Then he heard the same sound like wind chimes that he’d heard in Chroma Valley, and the pink and purple pokemon that had appeared back then came up next to Blaine.

“I remember this pokemon,” Morgan said, staring at it in awe. “What is it? And how exactly did you find it?”

“This is Cresselia. I’ve been told stories about it here in Haruba, and it is said to be a pokemon associated with moonlight and dreams. I don’t know why it appeared to me, but it seems to like me well enough.”

“Well enough?” Morgan chuckled, giving his brother a skeptical look. “Blaine, it fought Darkrai for you, I’d say it likes you more than just ‘well enough.’”

Blaine laughed. “Well, in any case, I asked it to guard my aura crystal from anyone that might want to steal it. It agreed to watch over me for however long it must.”

With the reminder of what they were there to do, Morgan felt a huge weight in his chest. He nodded silently, not sure what there really was to say. Blaine seemed to understand, and broke the silence first. “It will be alright, Morgan. We’re going to finish what we started in Chroma Valley, and we will save all of our people from the storms.”

Morgan nodded again. “I know. It’s just… hard. Saying goodbye, I mean. We never got that chance with father.”

“We didn’t,” Blaine agreed. “At least we’re getting that now.”

“I guess,” Morgan said quietly. He took a deep breath, and with a weak smile he said, “Well, if this is the last chance I’ll get, then I’m sorry about all the fights we got into. Even if I was right in most of them.”

Blaine laughed and put his arm around his brother’s shoulders, wordlessly threatening him with a headlock. “Sure, Morgan. I’ll let you believe that.” He let Morgan go and took a step back towards Cresselia. “If Raleigh doesn’t agree right away, tell him I’ll find him and haunt him with my weird aura powers.”

Morgan cracked another grin. “Will do.”

“Goodbye, Morgan.”

“Goodbye, Blaine.”

A few moments and a flash of bright yellow light later, a shining yellow crescent floated before them. Morgan stared at it for a long time before finally tearing himself away and turning to leave. He heard Cresselia’s cry, felt some kind of power surround him, then suddenly found himself and Lucario at the entrance to Hippowdon Temple. He sent a silent thank you to Cresselia, and exited to the Haruba Desert.

* * *

_Our theory was correct. The sandstorm has ended._

 

_X Month XX Day_

_Raleigh agreed as well. He had already decided that before I arrived, but he became even more positive once I told him about the success in Haruba._

* * *

As Morgan approached Boyleland, he could see even from a distance the pillar of smoke rising from the volcano. The cloud really did blot out the sky, and Morgan couldn’t imagine being on the island when that began.

By some stroke of luck, Morgan managed to find Raleigh aboard one of the many boats surrounding the island fairly quickly and without having to ask too many people where he might be. Raleigh boarded Morgan’s, and as they sailed toward the portion of the island still uncovered by the lava, Morgan told him everything that had happened in Hippowdon Temple. He laughed fondly when Morgan told him what Blaine had said. “Well, lucky for me, he won’t have to do that.”

“Yeah,” Morgan said, smiling sadly before growing more serious. “He also said that people might want to steal our aura crystals. Do you think that pokemon you summoned in Chroma Valley would be willing to protect you after it happens?”

“Heatran? Oh, definitely,” Raleigh said, waving the concern aside. “Especially if I’m inside the volcano. I’m sure I’ll be more than safe there.”

Morgan looked at him in confusion. “Uh, Raleigh? How exactly are you planning on getting _inside_ the volcano? It’s kinda erupting right now.”

“Heatran can take my crystal inside once it’s done. I expect you want to get back to Hia Valley as quickly as possible, right?”

“Yeah, but…” Morgan trailed off, not entirely sure where he was going with his sentence. A second later, he asked, “Aren’t you _scared?_ You sound like you’re ready to just go right ahead and do it.”

“Yes to both. I’m scared, but I’m ready. I’ve made my decision to protect Boyleland, so there’s no point in drawing out the actual process. It’ll be better to just get it over with once we get onto the island.”

Morgan didn’t really understand his brother’s thought process, but nodded slowly anyway. “So I guess we should say our goodbyes now?”

“Guess so. Come here,” he said, pulling Morgan into a hug. Morgan was startled for a second, but then Raleigh said, “I know you’re probably scared of being alone, but you’ll be okay. You know what you have to do, and you have Lucario with you all the way. You’ll end that snowstorm and everything will be just fine.”

Morgan could feel himself choking up, but managed to get out a short, “Thanks,” while blinking away tears. He couldn’t break down, not now. Not when he still had things to do. He felt a small jerk as the boat hit the shore of the island, and Raleigh let go to hop out of the boat and back away far enough to call Heatran.

After getting its approval, Raleigh turned to Morgan and Lucario. “Okay. I’m ready.”

Raleigh began to shine bright red light, and Morgan couldn’t even get a good look at the crystal he left behind before Heatran disappeared with it. Morgan almost felt cheated out of a goodbye, but he pushed away his feelings. It was time to go home.

* * *

_The sky was already beginning to clear as we sailed away. I should be glad that this is working so well, but all I really feel is guilt. I feel like I caused this entire problem, and I killed my entire family trying to fix it. But I suppose it does not matter. I will not have to worry about any of it soon._

 

_X Month XX Day_

_It is time for me to finish this. If anyone should find this journal, know that everything I have written is true. My brothers and I did not intend for any of this to happen, but we gave ourselves to try to make things right. Blaine ended the sandstorm in Haruba, Raleigh ended the eruption in Boyleland, now I will end the snowstorm in Hia Valley._

* * *

_"Are you ready?”_

Morgan looked up from his journal, and quickly wrote one final thing before closing it and setting it aside. He got to his feet, his breath fogging in the freezing air. “I think so. But first, I must ask you something.”

_“What is it?”_

“Raleigh and Blaine both had a pokemon that agreed to guard them. Will you do the same for me?”

_“I have been with you since the beginning, I will guard you now and always.”_

Morgan made a small smile, eyes stinging, and nodded, “Thank you.” He took another deep breath and exhaled heavily before saying, “I’m ready now. Goodbye, Lucario. And thank you for everything.”

_“Goodbye, my friend.”_

The prince closed his eyes, and the last thing he knew was a bright blue light searing through his eyelids.

* * *

_Someday, perhaps we can even make things right with father._

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“The small blue stone?” Mrs. Winter asked, confirming with the ranger what she wanted to hear about. “When I was a child, we called those small stones - well, shards - ‘Tears of Princes.’ They were considered symbols of good luck. We were delighted if we found any. In the Almia region, there is an old folktale. When I was a little girl, everyone knew it from a children’s storybook. That storybook faded from view over the ages. The folktale was eventually forgotten, too. Even I can only remember the folktale vaguely now. The folktale was titled, I believe, ‘The King of Almia and the Three Princes.’”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first actual multi-chapter fic I've ever finished, so thanks for sticking with me through it and thanks for the feedback @gerbilfriend, your reviews every chapter really helped me stay motivated C:
> 
> Here's some fun facts/headcanons that I had while writing this:
> 
> \- According to the behindthename website, Raleigh means "red clearing," Blaine means "yellow" in Gaelic, and Morgan means "sea circle" which was close enough to something blue that I went with it. Lucius just comes from Latin for light.
> 
> \- The one named advisor, Douglas, I named because it's kinda similar to Brook, and since Brook's mother was one of the few people who could tell you parts of the story of the Three Princes, I thought it'd be neat to just kinda slide in an ancestor even if nobody else would know.
> 
> \- Going along with that, when Morgan evacuated Hia Valley, I was trying to imply that Douglas and the rest of the people went and founded/settled in Pueltown.
> 
> \- I planned the last line Morgan wrote from the beginning because I wanted Operation Brighton to be like a triple-win for everyone: the rangers were able to save Almia from the power of the Shadow Crystal, Brighton Hall was able to sort of save his son from the darkness he brought into his life, and the princes were able to make things right with their father when the gems were brought close to the Shadow Crystal.
> 
> \- Before Morgan reached his brothers for the crystal business, they released their respective partners. It wouldn't be fair to keep a Rapidash on such a small island, and it wouldn't be fair to keep a Swellow so deep Hippowdon Temple.
> 
> \- When the player captures the guardian pokemon, I feel like you probably get across how you intend to use the gems and the pokemon kinda approves of you and that's why it lets you take them.
> 
> \- Darkrai isn't really evil, it's the partner/guardian of the king of Almia. I feel like once the Shadow Crystal became the Luminous Crystal, Darkrai can kinda understand that this is what was best for the king, and that's why it is so protective of both it and the gems during the Liberate the Tower mission.
> 
> That's all I can think of right now, but I'm sure there's other stuff that I'm forgetting. If anyone wants to talk prince lore, hit me up @dicaxasinus on tumblr! Thanks for reading!

**Author's Note:**

> I don't really have an update schedule, but I'll probably be posting these as I finish them. Let me know what you think!
> 
> Update: I recently bought a commission from [littleleeeloo](http://littleleeeloo.tumblr.com/) of Morgan and [here he is!](http://littleleeeloo.tumblr.com/post/167758126461/huevember-2017-day-18-this-is-a-picture-for)


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